Liaoning basketballers to have medical check after mass brawl

Three Liaoning basketball players were sent to undergo medical check on Thursday after being involved in a mass brawl with rival Sichuan fans.

Guo Ailun, He Tianju and Li Zhixuan flew back to Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, on Thursday night from Chengdu, where the Liaoning side were dealt the second consecutive loss in the CBA finals by Sichuan to trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

The three players were whisked away from the airport without saying anything to the chanting and banner-waving Liaoning fans.

Guo, a 22-year-old guard of the Chinese national team who was seen to have exchanged punches with Sichuan fans, explained the incident on his blog.

"To the fans in the Sichuan hotel: It could not be a problem however you cursed me or provoked me. As I chose this profession, what I should have done is to endure that kind of things," he said.

"But if my family was involved, I needed to protect them. This was an instinctive reaction for me as a son. I did not need to give it a second thought."

He Tianju reposted Guo's blog with a comment: "You just said what I wanted to say. Under that circumstance, I chose to be a son rather than a player."

Chaos and violence reigned after the game between Sichuan and Liaoning ended. Guo and He's fathers were reportedly confronted by some unruly Sichuan fans at the lobby of Liaoning team hotel. When Guo, He and some other Liaoning players came to rescue, a mass brawl ensued.

The CBA administration office told Xinhua that they are waiting for the results of a police investigation before they will decide how to deal with this incident. Endi